Out of Wedlock
by achingblood
Summary: After one simple mistake, Annie finds herself with an unexpected new family member. She doesn't even know if she'll tell the father or not. FritzxAnnie
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people! This is my third harvest moon story (and third ongoing story, I'm not dropping the other two I'm currently working on) so yeah. Not much of an introduction, this story just came to mind and for me when it comes to writing when I have something to write, waiting on it isn't much of an option because I lose inspiration randomly. So yeah, hope you enjoy this one.**

I'm positive there is nothing more awkward in the world than being in a small town clinic, unmarried, and waiting on the results of a pregnancy test.

Marian looks at me sympathetically and gives me a small smile. "Honey it'll be alright. Just another minute or so, then we'll find out."

I wish I could've done this at home, but in Oak Tree it was next to impossible to get a home pregnancy test. I could send away for one, but that would require waiting another couple days. Something I'm not exactly willing to do. If I'm pregnant I need to know.

Of course, none of this was planned. A baby is the last thing I need in my life, especially now when things are going so great on the farm. If I'm pregnant, can't work as hard as I am now, everything will come to a grinding halt.

God, I could kill Fritz right about now.

.x.

 **One Month Earlier**

I could kill Fritz right about now.

I had to fall for one of his self-patented "pump up speeches". The ones where he makes you feel invincible just long enough so you make a stupid decision. What the hell was I thinking? "Of course you can beat Giorgio and Elise at a conquest for the mushroom and honey farm!" Giorgio and Elise. The two best farmers in the entire town. Hell the last time I took part in a conquest _Fritz_ beat me by well over two hundred crops shipped. I was in no position to beat either of the two superior farmers, I was only setting myself up for another failure, another reminder that I'm not as good a farmer as I think I am.

But that's what Fritz did. He pumped me up just long enough for me to go to the guild and challenge Elise and Giorgio for the field. He gave me all the confidence in the world that disappeared about five seconds after Veronica penciled in the conquest. It was that goofy lopsided smile of his that was so weirdly hypnotic, he could convince anyone they could take over the world with that face.

The three of us sat in the guild. Or more accurately I sat in the guild as Giorgio and Elise paced around as Veronica tallied up the results. It was even earlier in the morning than I was used to, so I would rather sit than stand if given the choice. "I have the results," Veronica told us as we all rushed to the desk.

Elise had a cocky smile on her face. With all the fields she had control over, there was no doubt in her mind she might lose the conquest. But this time it was based on variety of items shipped, not number. Still, she grew lots of crops, and had lots of different animals. Same with Giorgio, and he was even more diverse in his crops, also having flowers and fruit trees. I had one field where I mainly stuck to growing easy crops, turnips and potatoes most of the time.

So, the day of the conquest was a mad dash to ship anything and everything I could. Harvested crops, milked my cows, and sheared my sheep. Even spent well over three hours fishing and diving into the rivers looking for anything to ship. Knowing Elise and Giorgio, neither of them were doing that.

"Alright everyone, these are the final results. Whoever wins this gets control of the field, no complaining, or asking for a redo. Is that clear?" We all nodded in agreement to her rules. "Alright, well in third place… Elise with seventy four items shipped." I could almost feel the confidence coming out of Giorgio now that his "real" competition was out of the running. "In second place… Giorgio with ninety one items shipped. Congratulations Annie, you won with one hundred sixteen items shipped."

If all our jaws could've dropped to the floor, they would've. "Wait seriously?" I asked, still processing the very idea that I could've beaten the other two.

"Yes Annie, congratulations." Veronica gave me a warm smile.

Giorgio sighed, running his hand through his amazing pink hair. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order. Good job Annie, you earned it."

"Yes. Congratulations." Elise repeated their sentiments, I knew it was her plot of land previously. "I'll harvest the last of the honey and mushrooms and you can have the field by tomorrow."

"Thank you Elise. And Giorgio." I smiled, trying to dial back my excitement in front of them though. The two walked out of the guild and I looked to Veronica. "Thank you as well."

"You are very welcome. I hope you enjoy the use of the field." She told me as I rushed out the door. There was nothing like winning to really perk you up early in the morning, and there was only one person I could think of going to see.

I ran up to Fritz's farm, across the bridge taking a small peek at the river below before arriving. His fall crops were growing successfully, although he hadn't planted very many. His little house was close to the entrance so I just hurried to the door and gave a few quick knocks.

It took a minute before I heard some shuffling inside. Maybe it was some sick curiosity I went there when it was still so early, I'd never seen the other farmer without energy and I was interested to know if he could live for a minute without being a spark plug.

When he opened the door he did look lower energy than normal, but it almost seemed to make him a normal person instead of a regular tired person. His red hair was wild as ever, and he hadn't even bothered to button up his shirt. "Annie? What are you doing here it's like five AM." He told me. I could barely understand him since he was yawning for half the sentence.

"I know, sorry to come so early… But I won the conquest." A smile spread across my face.

The news seemed to jerk him more awake too as he gained his goofy smile. "Wait seriously? That's awesome! I told you that you could beat them!" I wrapped my arms around his neck as he hugged me back, picking me up and spinning me into his house.

I laughed, unable to hold back my excitement anymore. "Yes seriously! I did not think that would happen!"

"Well you're a great farmer Annie, you just need to believe that more." He put me down and smiled at me.

For a while all I could think was that coming out to Oak Tree was a mistake. I knew nothing about farming and it very clearly showed. I had two cows, a sheep and a rabbit. My farm was covered in boulders and trees that I figured would take years to clear, and worst of all I was barely clearing enough profit to even be able to expand. Especially when comparing myself to Giorgio and Elise, it was tough to imagine even getting to the level where I could beat them in a conquest.

Fritz had some weird belief in me. Even though he was just starting out as a farmer too, he would constantly tell me how great I was doing, how I was going to be a great farmer or as time went on, how I already was great. I just brushed him off, especially after the first time I tried to take him and Elise on in a conquest and lost by such a large margin.

The conquest might've been something marginal, but its own way it just solidified that I had made the right choice to come to Oak Tree.

I looked at Fritz' smiling face again, his smile was infectious. I pulled him into another hug, just wanting to be held for a moment. "Thank you…"

He held me close as the silence fell over us for a second. I then broke the hug as our eyes met, there was a different look in his eyes this time, as if we could communicate without words. His eyes were almost begging me to kiss him.

I leaned in close as our lips met. The second my soft lips met his it was like something was let loose in both of us. Our kiss became feverish as I found myself against the wall. His kisses grew almost impatient as he left my lips and kissed down my jawline to my neck, causing a gasp to escape my lips. I brought his mouth back to mine as our kiss continued, I took off his shirt and threw it to the side, his skin still hot against me.

Still no words were exchanged as he scooped me up into his arms and carried me to the bed, I kissed his neck the entire way. He set me down and got on top of me, his kisses deepening and more passionate. I shut my eyes and felt his kisses trail down my neck, his hand running up my thigh, my clothes coming off…

.x.

That was one month ago, thirty days to be exact. The only reason I knew was the permit to the field was almost up and I would have to fight for it once again if I wanted to use it. However the field is the last thing on my mind.

It was just one stupid decision. It wasn't even a decision, I wasn't in the right mind when Fritz and I hooked up. I just wanted to celebrate with my friend. Well, it was one hell of a celebration.

"Annie," Marian broke me out of my thoughts as I looked back at the doctor. "Annie honey… You're pregnant."

I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

I could _kill_ Fritz right about now.

 **End of chapter one. Thanks for reading! I'll be updating my other hm story sometime today.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed chapter one, I greatly appreciated it. So let's just get onto chapter two now.**

"Annie do you have a plan for the baby?" Marian asks me.

What kind of question is that? Of course I don't have a plan for the baby! I'm unmarried, living alone on a farm that I can barely keep up with, pregnant with my former best friend's child that I didn't want in the first place. If anyone did have a plan in that situation, they'd deserve a damn medal.

"No." I say simply.

"Well what about the father? Do you know who he is?"

Well, Fritz was the only guy I had slept with. "Yes."

I could tell he wanted to ask who it was, but being a doctor he refrained. "Are you going to tell him about the baby?"

I pause. The question isn't whether or not I'm _going_ to tell Fritz about the baby. It's if I'm _able_ to. Talking to him has proven to be quite difficult lately.

.x.

 **One Month ago**

In the room afterwards, I laid beside Fritz as we both panted and tried to catch our breath. It didn't take long on me for the heat of the moment to wear off. What was I thinking hooking up with Fritz? I mean of all people in the goddamn town I had to choose Fritz to have a one night stand with? My best friend, the rival farmer in town. It was stupid beyond belief. That was the logical side of my brain however. The other side kept telling me to stay there with Fritz, lie there all day with him. Kiss him again, have sex with him again.

But as often happens with me, my logical side won the argument.

I sat up and looked back at him. "I should go." I said, starting to search the room for my clothes. Wow, we really were lost in the moment. Made a lot more of a mess than I had imagined.

He sat up as well and glanced over at me. "Go? Why so early?"

I was hoping he wouldn't say something like that. What I wanted was for him to tell me to forget this ever happened and for us both to move on. But that was dreaming big. "I have to go feed the cows, water my crops and stuff." I lied. I still had a few hours to do all that, I could've waited there for another hour if I wanted. I more just wanted to get the hell out of there early so Giorgio wouldn't see me, get the wrong idea. Well, I guess the right idea, but I didn't want him to find out regardless. Premarital sex wasn't exactly normal.

He saw through my lie though and just sighed, getting up and starting to get dressed alongside me. "If you want to leave then leave. I'm not going to keep you prisoner here or somethin'."

I looked back over at him. Poor guy still had a puppy side to him, his heart was clearly on his sleeve. I didn't want to hurt him. "I didn't mean it like that Fritz."

"No, I get it. You were caught up in the moment and you did something you regret."

Actually he had it bang on the head. "I don't regret it. I just don't really want everyone to find out." God, could I say anything more stupid.

"If you didn't regret it then you wouldn't care this much about people finding out." He looked at me. "People here might be conservative but they wouldn't care Annie."

"I just don't want them getting the wrong idea."

"The wrong idea that we like each other?" He shot back. He didn't seem very angry, but it was the most angry I had ever seen Fritz before. He was more upset though, and I couldn't really blame him. I just didn't know how else to handle it.

"I'm sorry… Please just don't tell anyone."

"I'm not going to go around town bragging about it if that's what you're worried about."

There was even more of an awkward silence between us as I finished putting on my dress. "Look Fritz, I'll see you later okay? Maybe then we can talk about it."

He let out a sigh and walked me to the door. "Yeah, maybe. Bye…"

I turned and walked away, basically bolting as fast as I could away from the farm.

.x.

I still can't believe that had happened. Fritz was just a nice guy and I had to be weird about it. That was the last time we had spoken after hooking up. I just found it too awkward to talk to him, and the few times I saw him in town he just kept his head down and looked like he didn't want to talk to me. Destroyed a friendship with one night of sex.

"No, I can't tell him." I say to Marian and look up.

He sighs. "Look as your doctor, it's none of my business and I won't get involved. But as your friend… It might be useful to tell whoever the father is that he'll be a father. He deserves to know."

I know he's right. I'm not sure why I'm so worried. Fritz would be a great father, and I know there's no way he would just leave me with the babies. But still, there was fear about the whole situation. What would I say to him? "Hey sorry I ran out on you after we slept together and then didn't talk to you for a month. But congratulations you're going to be a father!". Yeah, that would end well.

I stand up and look back at him. "I know. Please don't tell anyone about this."

"I'm a doctor, of course I won't." He went to a cabinet and got me some pills. "These will help the baby and your health. I want you to take it easy okay Annie? Get plenty of rest and no skipping meals. If you need anything, then please talk to me okay?"

"Thank you." I smile lightly. I probably will take him up on that. The least amount of people that know about the pregnancy the better. I give him a quick hug and leave the clinic, carrying the pills in my backpack.

I start to make my way back to the farm. It feels so weird how everything feels normal in town and yet everything has changed for me. People going about their lives, smiling and nodding to me, unaware that I have a baby growing inside of me. It's a strange feeling, everything is the exact same and yet feels so different.

I get to the crossroads outside of Oak Tree town. Looking across the bridge, I think of Fritz. He would be in the fields watering his crops right about now. For a brief moment, the emotional side of my brain starts to scream to go talk to him, to go tell him about the baby and say how sorry I am for how I treated him.

But once again, the logical side of my brain manages to shut the emotional side up.

My hand instinctively goes to my belly, feeling where my little baby will be growing for the next nine months. I take one more look over at Fritz' farm before turning, and walking towards my own.

 **End of chapter two! Thank you for everyone who reviews, I love to read them, also this flashback thing is probably just for these two chapters. So yeah, hope you enjoy everything! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, just gunna jump right into the chapter, hope you enjoy it!**

It has officially been a week since I found out about the little person growing inside of me. My plan has stayed more or less the same: avoid Fritz. Marian also happened to end up on the "do not talk to" list, more because he's the only other person to know I'm pregnant.

They'll all find out eventually when I get too big to hide it, but for now it's just easier to wear loose clothes, and pretend like everything is normal.

I walk into Raeger's restaurant and look around, a lot of people from town are inside. Thankfully not Fritz, figured he would be. My craving for pancakes is too strong though to keep me away even if he was here.

"Hey Annie, what can I get for you?" He asks. I take a seat at the counter.

"Do you serve pancakes at this time?" I ask.

"I do. But no one ever orders them." He laughs. "Give me a minute okay?"

I nod and just wait, watching him work. "Annie! Hi!" I turn and see Lillie come and sit at the counter with me. She's always been peppy and full of energy, we've never been super close but she's nice enough to talk to. "We haven't talked in a while, how have you been?"

" _Unmarried and pregnant with my former best friends baby."_ I think to myself, but then instead respond, "I've been good. How are you?"

"I'm good." She says and smiles sweetly. "Hey Starry Night festival is coming up. Going to invite anyone?"

I pause and think. Starry Night festival. Fritz told me about it when we first met, how if you want you can invite someone to go watch the stars with you. He told me about how he was never invited and always ended up just going by himself. Since he was my friend, and I felt bad, I told him I would go with him. _"Consider this your early invitation to go to the starry night festival with me."_ Is what I said specifically to him.

Damnit.

But that was months ago, almost an entire year. He can't think that we're still going together, especially not after what happened between us.

"Annie?"

She breaks my thoughts as I look back to her. "Oh… I don't know. I think I already did but I don't know if that's going to work out."

"Oh? And why's that?" She asks.

"Well…" I'm interrupted as the door opens, the annoying bell ringing out again. I turn to see who walked in as my heart sinks. Fritz. Of course. Right when I was about to finally tell someone about what happened too.

I can't help myself but watch him as he walks over to the counter, only giving me a small glance. "Hey Raeger, did I leave some papers here earlier?"

Raeger nods and reaches under the counter, passing them to him. "Yeah, you ran out so quick and forgot them. Kept them safe in case they were important."

Fritz looks them over. "Just looking to apply to lease the honey and mushroom field." He says. I swear I saw him look back at me when he said that. Of course he wants to lease the field I have right now, how convenient. I don't even want to fight him on it, the field is basically useless in the winter. Now he is looking right at me. "You don't mind, do you Annie?"

"Bees don't make honey in the winter, go right ahead." I tell him bluntly. Raeger and Lillie exchange glances, but my gaze is fixed on Fritz. He's never acted this way before, but can I really blame him after what I did?

"Great, won't have to do a conquest then." He shrugs.

"At least not against me. Giorgio and Elise might challenge you for it."

"Well if you can beat them-" He stops himself in the middle of his sentence but I know what he was going to say. If I could beat them, anyone can. "Sorry. That was mean. I didn't mean it."

"Forget it, it's fine."

He just shakes his head and looks at Raeger. "Thanks man… See you guys later." He says and leaves.

There's a very awkward silence that lingers for a few seconds. Raeger passes me a plate of pancakes before Lillie looks at me. "What was that all about?"

"We had a bit of a falling out." I admit.

"Want to tell me what happened or no?"

I actually really do want to tell her what happened. I want to tell someone. I glance at Raeger as he goes to check on another table. He and Fritz are close, he doesn't need to know that I'm telling someone else. "Fritz and I hooked up and then I left right away and we haven't talked in a month."

She tilts her head. "Hooked up?"

"We had sex."

Her eyes widen and I can pretty much see her brain exploding from that. She's always been a good girl, I don't think she's even ever held hands with a guy. "Really? You two are dating?"

"No. It's just something that happened." I say and start to eat. "And… Now I'm pregnant."

I wasn't sure why I decided to tell her, but if her head didn't explode earlier, it certainly has now. "What are you serious?"

"Keep your voice down." I tell her, already feeling the regret of blurting it out. "Please don't tell anyone, I can't have them know."

"Does Fritz know?"

I swallow. "No, I haven't told him yet."

"Well you have to tell him…" She says and then smiles. "You should tell him on the starry night festival! That would be so romantic…"

I don't think she realizes that there is nothing romantic about the situation and is just lost in her own little dream world. But she's allowed to think whatever she wants. "Yeah. Sure. I'll tell him eventually. But you really can't let him know." I tell her.

She nods. "Of course not. Secret's safe with me… I can't believe you're going to have a baby. That's so amazing." She says and hugs me.

I figured that when I eventually told someone they wouldn't react well, especially not like this. After the big talk I got from Veronica about how important the traditions of dating, getting married, everything like that were, I thought it would be far more taboo to get pregnant before being married. Especially before even dating someone.

Maybe I'm really not as screwed as I thought.

I break the hug and smile lightly as I go back to eating, the pancakes taking care of my cravings. When Raeger comes back Lillie just goes back to talking about life until the restaurant closes. I start to walk home, stopping at the crossroads again and looking at Fritz' farm, trying to think of a way I can finally tell him.

The Starry Night festival… Maybe Lillie was onto something.

 **End of chapter! If you enjoyed please leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Just wanted to admit my own mistake… I kept calling the Starlight Gala the Starry Night festival. I think I mixed up my hm games… Anyways, fixing it this time around. Enjoy the chapter!**

Early morning, standing in front of Fritz' door, knocking loudly. Last time I did this I ended up conceiving a child. This time it's different though.

It's the day of the Starlight Gala, and all I have on my mind is one goal: by the end of the night Fritz will know he's going to be a father. Marian's right, he should know. Talking to Lillie made me feel a lot better. She was fine with me being pregnant, maybe other people will be too. Maybe Fritz will react well.

The doorknob turns as he opens the door, looking just as tired as the last time I greeted him at this time. Although this time he is fully dressed since it's at least past 5AM. "Annie?" He rubs his eyes lazily, "What are you doing here?"

I take in a deep breath. "Well… I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Starlight Gala with me."

He pauses and leans against the doorframe, crossing his arms. "Are you serious?"

Could've predicted that response. "Yeah… Look I know it's weird but I have to talk to you. It's really important."

"Then talk to me now. I'm right here Annie." He sighs.

"I can't right now. I have an appointment at the doctors in about fifteen minutes." I tell him. That's not a lie, I set up an appointment with Marian after some particularly bad morning sickness.

This makes him pause again as he drops his arms. "Doctor? Are you okay?"

"Just getting over a flu." I lie. I don't think the thought of me being pregnant even runs through his head. It's not exactly the most common problem to happen to people in this town.

"Oh… Well fine. I'll see you tonight then." He says, looking a bit less annoyed than when he first saw me. "And good luck with your flu."

I nod and smile lightly. It takes a moment before he gives me a small smile back and turns back into his house and closes the door. It feels so good to see him smile, even if it's just a little piece of my heart feeling better over what I did to him I'll take it. A month ago it would be almost impossible to imagine Fritz without his smile. Now it's become harder to remember him with it, so just seeing a little light of some happiness there makes me feel happier. I never wanted to hurt him, I still don't want to hurt him.

I start to walk towards the clinic, feeling the unmistakable turning of my stomach. The baby is probably tiny right now, what could it possibly being doing in there that's making me feel so sick? In a weird way, I didn't exactly mind the morning sickness most days. It's usually the only times during the day that I really stop and think about everything. How I'm actually going to have a _baby_. When I'm sitting in the bathroom feeling horribly sick, it's the only time I'm just thinking of the baby, not of me or Fritz. Just how I'm going to keep the little baby happy once it's finally in my life.

But when I'm walking down just a path towards town, morning sickness isn't as pleasant.

Somehow I manage to get to the clinic without losing my breakfast, but I stop once I'm at the guild and sink down into one of the chairs. I take a few deep breaths to try and get my stomach to stop turning.

"Annie?" I look up and see Veronica. "Are you alright?" She sits down beside me and takes one of my hands in the motherly way she deals with people. My stomach flips again as I close my eyes, trying to will the sickness away.

"Yeah. Just the baby is really messing with my stomach."

"The baby?"

I freeze, mentally trying to find a way out of the conversation but coming up with nothing. Pissed at myself for letting it slip. I wasn't even thinking when I said it. I swallowed and looked back at her. "Yes… The baby. I'm pregnant and I'm here to talk to Marian…"

Her face drops as well as my heart. All I can think of is Lillie giving me a big hug, telling me congratulations about the baby. Just based off Veronica's face I can tell that this will be far from that situation.

"You're… Pregnant." She repeats, letting go of my hand. "But you're not married."

"I know…" Every bit of confidence I have is gone as I'm reduced to about a small girl getting scolded by her mother.

"Annie, it's none of my business but why? A child needs a stable family." She says. "I don't know how common this is where you come from, but here we expect a couple to be prepared before they have a child. This was reckless."

 _Where you come from._ It hits me almost like a freight train. She's not appalled by this because I'm an unmarried pregnant girl. She's appalled by this because it's me. Because I'm the outsider causing some scandal in her town. If it was Lillie, I doubt this would be her reaction. For the first time in a while I feel completely like an outsider. Oak Tree has felt like family to me, but really none of it was real. They still see me as the outsider.

She continues, "You aren't even in a relationship. What did you expect would happen?"

I swallow and wipe my eyes. Damnit, she can scold me like a child but she will not see me cry. "You're right, it's none of your business." I stand up and swiftly walk to the clinic, leaving the guild master behind.

I walk into the clinic and see Marian right away, Angela filling out a form at one of the desks. Marian sees me and pauses. "Angela, can you give us a moment?"

Angela looks up and sees me, then back to Marian and nods. She picks up her clipboard and walks out of the clinic, shutting the door behind her. Marian walks over to me and pulls me into a tight hug. "Annie are you alright?"

I can't even respond. For a week I've kept my emotions down, just kept working and didn't talk to anyone about it. I finally felt alright after talking to Lillie, after seeing her reaction. Now all I feel is dread. What if Lillie was some weird exception? She's nice about everything, so baby news wouldn't be any different. What if the rest of the town is like Veronica, will treat my baby and I like just some problem?

For the first real time… I genuinely feel completely alone.

 **End of chapter! So I'm feeling really inspired to write this story, so it's kind of taking lead over the other two stories I have going on. But since my inspiration is flowing, you can expect another chapter pretty soon, possibly within the next day even if I get it out. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Told you guys might get a chapter real soon. Here it is, hope you enjoy it!**

Marian assured me over and over that Veronica didn't mean it. "She's just shocked, this doesn't exactly happen much in this town." He told me. It was enough to calm me down, not that I believed him. Just the fact that he cared about how I felt though made me feel slightly less alone. Still, walking out past Veronica didn't help, and knowing I'll have to see her in the trading depot later to meet Fritz there also wasn't the most pleasant thought.

I went through the rest of my day, feeding all my animals and watering the few crops I had planted. The rest of the day was spent at home, looking over some blueprints to expand my home until the time of the festival.

Once that time came I walk down to the trade depot. Intentionally making myself just a little bit late so all the speeches and interactions would be done and over by the time I arrive. Veronica is there right front and center as everyone gathers around. I look around and see Fritz, walking over to him. "Come on we should go find a place." I tell him quietly.

He glances over and nods. "Sure…"

I catch a glance from Veronica as my heart pounds again. I grab Fritz' hand as I rush out of the trade depot. Once we're out he takes his hand away. "Annie, what's going on? What's gotten into you?"

"Let's just find a quiet place to talk?" I ask him. "Please?"

I'm not sure if he could hear the desperation in my voice, or if he was just not in the mood to argue, but he backed down. "Alright. There's a place by my farm we can go. Come on."

The walk to his farm is awkward to say the least. I don't know what to say to him, and he doesn't seem too interested in small talk. What Veronica said keeps running through my head, making me dread having to tell Fritz. What if he was the same as her? Didn't want anything to do with the baby. It was my fault anyways, I came to his house, and I was the one who was pregnant.

But when I look back at Fritz, I remember all the times he was so sweet with me. How he cheered me up and convinced me it was a good idea for me to stay. Told me I was a good farmer when even I didn't believe it. I remember the first day I met him and he told me about swimming in rivers. I was nervous so he held my hand and told me it would be okay. Fritz isn't the guy who would run out on his child.

We get to an empty field by the bridge, right outside his farm. We both sit in the grass, his legs outstretched as he watches the stars, the reason for the festival. I sit with my legs crossed, twisting the grass between my fingers.

After a moment where the only sound is the rustling of animals in the bushes, he glances at me. "So… What did you want to talk about?"

I bite my lip, refusing to look at him. It's just easier that way. "Well, you remember last month when we… Slept together. Right?"

There's another silence between us for a few moments before we answer. "Yeah. Can't forget."

When I glance back at him, he's not looking at me either. Guess it isn't just awkward for me. I take in a deep breath, deciding to keep looking at him.

"Fritz, I'm pregnant."

His head whips around and looks at me. For the first time all night our eyes lock. "What?"

"I'm pregnant." I repeat.

He's impossible to read. There's about a thousand different emotions running through his eyes, and neither of us break the eye contact. "Oh my god…" He falls back into the grass. "How long have you known?"

"A bit over a week." I tell him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner it's just-"

"I'm going to be a father." He says absentmindedly, not even paying attention.

My heart flutters when he says it though. _Father_. He's going to be a father and I'm going to be a mother. I still don't know what he's feeling, but anger certainly isn't one of the emotions.

"Yeah… You're going to be a dad." I smile lightly.

He looks back at me and then sits up. "So… I guess we should get married?"

I hadn't even thought about it. Of course when Veronica went on her rant the thought of getting married ran through my head, but it was quickly replaced by worry. It would certainly be easier to just marry Fritz, be like a normal family and have our child grow up never knowing it was born out of just one passionate night.

"I don't think we should Fritz… I don't just want to marry you because I'm having your child."

He sighs and nods. "Then what should we do about it?"

"I don't know." I admit.

"Well… We can think of some way to make this work." He says.

I don't quite know why but my mind starts to spin with emotions, my eyes starting to fill with tears. I told myself I wouldn't do this. Not with Fritz, not after everything I did to him. Cutting him out, ignoring him. He seems to notice. "Annie? What's wrong?"

I turn to face him and pull him in, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry Fritz…"

He just holds me, as if the past month hadn't happened. As if I didn't leave, as if I didn't reject him. "Annie don't apologize… Please stop crying." He pulls away and wipes my cheeks, giving me the same puppy dog look I had seen so many times. Complete with crooked smile. "Please?"

I laugh lightly and smile. "Thanks… I really am sorry hurting you Fritz…"

The smile disappears. "Can I ask you why you didn't want to be with me?"

"I was scared of what people would think. If it was a mistake to sleep with you. You were my best friend. I didn't want to mess that up. And in trying to avoid messing things up, I just made it worse." I say and sigh, going back to picking at the grass. "I still don't know what I want… I'm sorry."

"It's fine…" He admits, still some pain on his face but the smile slowly returns. "I just want to do everything to be a good dad now."

I pull him back into a hug, closing my eyes, completely comfortable wrapped in his arms. Every thought in my head about Veronica is gone. Being worried about how the rest of the town will react is gone.

Fritz wants to be a father to his child.

And for all I care, that's the only thing that matters.

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. So an apology is in order, it's been a long time since I've updated. I've been kind of working on some other writing not fanfiction related, but I've also been having some problems with anxiety to be quite honest. I never really had any intention of dropping this fanfiction. I love writing it, Fritz is super fun to write.**

 **So I do hope you enjoy this chapter, and I am sorry it took so long to update.**

I woke up the next morning to a knock on my door. It's 6AM, the time I usually wake up, so it's not too unwelcome. Although it was a late night out with Fritz under the stars.

But… We're just friends. That's it. Just friends who happen to have a child together.

I get up and quickly throw on a loose dress that's comfortable enough and easy to put on. Even though I don't quite have a baby bump yet, I can still feel self-conscious about someone seeing my belly. Eventually it would get big, and it would be impossible to hide.

The knock rings through my house again. I come to the door and open it up, seeing Fritz standing there with a drink in his hand.

"Drink this." He tells me and holds it out. It's green… Thick looking. I take the glass and smell it.

"Is this grass?"

He shrugs. "Kind of… It's healthy. You don't have to drink it, but it'll be good for you and the baby. Help keep you with energy and stuff."

"Thanks…" I say and let him in. He looks completely exhausted, but I don't comment on it. "Did you come here just to give me this?"

"And help you out on your farm," He beams his signature goofy smile. Before I can protest, he interrupts, "You told me last night that Marian told you to take it easy. You're carrying my child, I am here to make sure you follow your doctor's orders."

I laugh lightly and try to choke back some of the grass juice, or whatever it is. "Really Fritz, you don't have to. I can handle it myself."

"Of course you can. You can do a lot of things. But if someone offers free work, I wouldn't pass it up."

It's outside of his usually lazy attitude, but I figure it can just be chalked up to his excitement over being a father. Besides, he is right. If someone offers to help, take it. Especially since my morning sickness will probably flare up soon anyways. "Alright, but I'll look after my own animals. You just water the crops if you can."

"No problem." He smiles again. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I think I'm good." I smile and touch my belly lightly, just on instinct. "Thanks Fritz."

He leaves the house and I'm left with the drink. Surprisingly, I can keep most of it down, and it does make me feel at least a bit more energized. I go out to my barn and brush all my animals, then start to heard them outside.

After about twenty minutes, Fritz comes back over to me, watching me take care of the animals from the fence. "So… Should we be planning stuff?" He asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Like who are we gunna tell about the baby?"

I pause. I hadn't really thought about it. After telling Veronica was such a disaster, I was thinking of all the ways I could avoid telling anyone. "Well Lillie, Marian and Veronica already know… Who would you want to tell?"

"Well it's up to you. If you don't want anyone to know then I won't tell anyone." He admits.

I laugh. "It's your baby too Fritz. Just tell me before you tell anyone, and I'll do the same."

"Well, all I really want to tell is Raeger." He tells me.

I can't help but smile at that. The two men are best friends, I remember once in particular time Raeger opened up the restaurant just to cook for Fritz on his day off. "Sure. Mind if I come with to tell him?"

"Yeah, of course!" He says happily. "It'll be great! Anyone else you want to tell?"

I think. "I'll tell them all eventually. But today, might as well stick to one."

.x.

"Annie's pregnant with my baby."

If Raegers jaw could literally drop to the floor, it would've. Instead he just raised his eyebrows with a quizzical look on his face. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah man! Isn't it awesome?"

Raeger and I both laugh at Fritz' enthusiasm before the chef stops and gives me a hug. "Congratulations you guys… I didn't even know you two were dating."

"We aren't." I tell him awkwardly. "It just kind of happened."

"Well, that's alright too. You two seem happy." He admits. "Got a plan yet?"

"Not really. He just found our yesterday so haven't had the time." I shrug.

Lillie walks into the restaurant, it still being too early to open. "Hey, thought I saw you two walk in here… So you're talking again. That's great." She smiles. I can tell she's trying her hardest to not bring up the pregnancy in case Raeger, or even Fritz, doesn't know. Curiosity must be killing the poor girl.

"It's fine Lillie. Both of them know about the baby."

She perks up right away and walks over, giving me a big hug. "Then I can actually congratulate you now!" She says and then gives Fritz a hug. "I can't believe you two are having a baby!"

"I know, it's a little weird to be honest." I admit and smile lightly. "But it's been mostly good reactions."

Fritz looks over. "Mostly?"

I sigh. "Veronica… She didn't really react well to it."

He pauses. "Well, if she doesn't like it, then she can just deal with her own issues. It's none of her business anyways what happened."

I smile and nod in agreement. Maybe it's just some weird hormonal thing making me strangely happy, but Fritz seems to be saying all the right things I need to hear. Or maybe he is really just the perfect person that I could've had knock me up after a one night stand. Either way, the weight of the situation is pretty much off my shoulders. I'm still stressed, sure. But it's a hell of a lot easier with Fritz there.

Fritz and Raeger start talking by themselves, and Lillie smirks. "So… You never did tell me what happened with you and Fritz…"

I blush, knowing the guys are out of ear shot. "Just… Got lost in a moment I guess."

She giggles. "Well, I really am happy for you… And hey. Who knows… Maybe you could get lost in another moment and get together… Now that he is the father of your child." She jokes.

I can barely even hear the joke though. Seeing Fritz talking to Raeger I can only start to imagine the baby. I almost want it to have red hair, just like his. And to see the little face and cheeks dotted like freckles like his face is. I want the baby to have his kindness too, to be as caring as he is…

I'm lost in staring at him. Everything is like a dream, this horrible situation that I was dreading having to talk about is made almost perfect just from his reassuring words. Having him in my life makes everything feel better, like it's going to be alright.

No matter what, he's going to be in my life for the rest of my life. He's the father of my children. And I want him in my life, more than anything in the world.

But…

We're just friends who happen to have a child together.

Right?

 **I really hope you guys enjoy this, and again, sorry for the delay. I'd still love for y'all to read and review if you get the chance.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews of last chapter :D**

 **SIX MONTHS LATER**

It's been six months since finding out about the baby I'm carrying. Although I just date how long it's been based off my belly. It's much larger than it used to be, making it harder to get work done on the farm without getting tired.

Fritz has been helpful to say the least. He's still come every day, same grass drink, still watering the crops. He's actually been great with… Well, everything.

Even telling people about the situation. He was with me every time, supported me when people weren't as supportive as others. Margot was one of them, unable to hide her disdain for me getting pregnant before marriage. Her and Veronica I just avoid now, it's much easier that way.

I'm sitting outside my house on an old lawn chair next to Corona. It's summer now and getting hotter every day. Gunther came over early in the morning to help build an addition to my house, a whole extra level. Unsurprisingly, Fritz was right there to help, and he even roped Raeger into coming over to help on his day off. My mind and desire to still be somewhat independent tells me to help too, but my body, and Marian as well, just tells me to relax. Apparently I'm bigger than expected at this time of the pregnancy, but Marian just tells me it means the baby is healthy. It's getting into the evening now though, a lot of work is done but I know they'll have to stop once the sun sets.

"So have you thought of a name?" Corona asks me.

I glance over at her. "No, we haven't really discussed names yet."

She smiles. "I think it's sweet that you and Fritz are still going to raise it together… He seems to be really into the whole baby thing."

I look over and see Fritz with Gunther, getting walked through on what work he has to do. "Yeah, he's pretty excited. Wasn't really expecting it to be honest."

She laughs. "What were you expecting?"

"For him to freak out." I laugh as well.

She smiles and watches them all work. "Well... Think there's any chance of you two getting back together?"

Fritz and I did soften the blow and tell people that we were dating for a bit and just happened to break up. It sounded a lot better than 'we hooked up now I'm pregnant'. It's certainly not the first time I've been asked the question, so it's far from the first time I thought about it. But it's been months since anyone asked, and over the past little bit of time… Things have been changing.

Seeing Fritz became a part of my routine. He came every morning and I was happy to see him. He was always smiling, always happy to see me. I could feel things starting to get back to the way things were with us. When he was my best friend, before I slept with him and left him.

But that was always hanging around the back of my head. Every time there was an awkward pause between us, I remembered leaving him. Every time he gave me a hug before leaving, I remember the night we had together. I don't even know if it's something he's thinking about, but the fact is… I know I can't hurt him again.

"I don't know." I tell her, watching the men again. "Both of us are just focused on the baby… Not on each other you know?"

That's pretty much the truth. The baby is what we talk about whenever we're together. "Well that makes sense." She smiles sweetly.

Gunther walks over to the two of us. "Well, that's about what we can do today… We've gotten a lot done though, should be done by tomorrow."

"Thank you so much." I smile and stand up, shaking his hand and hugging Corona. I thank Raeger when he walks over and hug him as well.

The three of them head back to town as Fritz walks over, looking over at my half built house. "How are you feeling Annie?"

"I'm feeling okay. Tired is all." I admit. I wasn't expecting being pregnant to take so much energy.

"Well… I was thinking maybe we should like switch houses for the night?" He suggests. I pause, but before I can speak he continues, "It's just your house isn't fully built yet. It can get kind of cold at night and stuff. Just want to make sure you're comfortable."

I shake my head. "You don't have to do that Fritz, it's fine. Really."

"I'd just feel a bit better if you were like, not sleeping here. Things are covered up but it'll be kind of cold. Plus with animals and things…"

He's really cute when he worries over little things. I can't help but smile at it. "Well… Alright. Thanks Fritz."

I pack up some stuff and we walk back to his farm. He lets me into his place. The last time I was inside here I got pregnant, but I guess that can't happen again this time.

"Well, you know where the bed and everything is… Feel free to eat anything if you get hungry. And guess I'll be back in the morning." He smiles.

"Wait," I say as he turns for the door. "Can you stay for a bit?"

He turns back and shrugs. "Sure, what do you need?"

We both sit beside each other at the table. "Well… We haven't thought of names or anything for the baby."

He cracks a smile. "We don't know the gender or anything. How would we pick a name?"

I smirk. "Don't need to know the gender. Just need to plan out a couple… Like what do you want to name it if it's a girl?"

He pauses and thinks. I can hear the crickets outside from the open window. "I don't know."

"What if it's a boy?"

"I don't know."

I groan. "Come on Fritz."

He laughs. "What? We're gunna have to plan out everything else, like their schedule, how to take care of it… Why don't we just leave one thing that we don't plan, and just think of something when the little guy or girl is actually here?"

I giggle. "Alright. Fine. We'll do it your way."

We talk a bit longer for what we're going to do when the baby comes. After about twenty minutes he stands. "I should get going, it'll get to dark to walk back soon."

I stand up and he hugs me. I close my eyes and hold myself close to him. There's something about Fritz… Even before I got pregnant I always had an attraction to him, although I did ignore it most times. But even now, it's only stronger. He holds me in his strong arms, stronger than he looks being a relatively small guy. He still has his silly side, the side that's so nice and sweet, makes anyone attracted to becoming his friend. But now, he has a certain maturity. A different caring side I didn't expect out of him.

Once he breaks the hug I look at him, our eyes locking. My heart skips a beat and I almost hesitate and don't say anything. But then I do, "You don't… Have to leave…"

He pauses. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to leave." I repeat. I can tell he's confused by the quizzical look on his face, so I explain it the best way I know how. I lean in and our lips lock together. The same electric spark I felt the first time is gone. This time it's like a slow burning flame between us, as if it's been growing since the first time we slept together and now it's finally being released.

I break the kiss when I feel something else inside. A small kick against my stomach. I can't help but giggle, almost as if the baby is happy because of the kiss. "What happened?" He asks.

I take his hand and place it on my belly so he can feel the kicking. His eyes light up as he laughs as well. It's not the first time the baby has kicked, but it's the first time around him that it has.

"I think the baby's trying to tell you that it loves you." I tease.

He laughs lightly and kisses my cheek, his hand still feeling the small kicks of the baby.

 **Probably just one or two more chapters, depending on what happens with the story. But I hope you enjoyed this one! Don't forget to leave a review!**


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